So today we continued the happy trend of counting down treatment days, which is way much more fun than counting up to some big number staring you down. There is a wake of chemo cocktails behind, anticipation of being done with cancer ahead, and the momentum is finally on my side. I could say it's like a snowball effect, but I don't really enjoy the cold, so I won't. And I feel too lazy to come up with a better metaphor.
Speaking of cold, my oncologist did a blood test to check on my thyroid because my thermostat is having some issues. It's probably just a side effect of the chemo, but previously my dial only read cold, goosebumps, teeth chattering, and somewhere in between defrost and thaw. Chemo has added melt to the mix. An especially weird sensation when the signals are mixed and my face is hot, I have goosebumps on my arms and can't get warm, and my hands are hot and sweaty while my feet are cold and clammy.
I have a Muga scan scheduled for Monday, just to keep tabs on my heart and make sure it is taking the Herceptin ok. It's just normal procedure to get one every three months while on Herceptin. If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you also know that I will be radioactive with a chance of superpowers for a few days next week. That means I will have to struggle with the temptation of purposefully setting off metal detectors in airports and courtrooms, just so I can whip out my card that says I am radioactive. With a chance of superpowers. Just one of the perks.
In case you were wondering what we do the whole time I am hooked up to my cocktail. Well, it's pretty exciting, really. Today Dave calculated how many drops of the Herceptin I get in the 90-minute drip. If I can read his math right in my little notebook, it says 4,320 drops. I generally watch the Food Network if nobody minds me changing the channel off of the soaps or news. Generally nobody minds.
It's a big room with a bunch of recliners, each with their own personal IV rack. Sometimes there are other patients who are talkative, which is fun. Like today, there were these two elder sisters (one is a patient and one is not) who are sometimes on my schedule, there again today. They are quite talkative and they totally crack me up. They don't mind watching the Food Network with me and they even provide hilarious commentary. Today they were having a little sidebar about me liking to cook, and the one sister (with the IV) said that you really can't trust a skinny cook. I almost broke my face again trying to keep a straight face, telling her that, in my defense, I totally use butter and whole milk; and she did give me props, but still seemed suspicious. Then she was ranting about her tv reception at home. The other sister (sans IV) told me that her sister recently got two new digital tvs, but is so mad because she can only get two or three channels but too stubborn to ante up for cable to get what she paid for. She said her sister got super frustrated trying to set them up when she got a message that said something about place the cursor here, and she called her sister and said, "What the hell is the cursor? Oh, I guess I am!" I like it when they are there.
A lot of the time the other patients are reading (I can't really read with a bunch of people and a tv around) or sleeping. A few times there have been very sick patients, and it sort of breaks my heart. I know, we are sitting there hooked up to chemo cocktails, but part of me sometimes forgets or something, until the quiet man next to me asks for some ice chips because he can't eat because he has a feeding tube. Or last time one woman's port wouldn't work. Or during the winter the woman next to me had to be taken straight to the hospital for pneumonia. It's always a reality check. And something that reminds me not to let myself go home and waste the next three weeks because they are a gift. Just like the health and fitness that I am building up as I count down these cocktails.
Eighteen down. Thank you, God. Keep me steady as we go. Amen.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
No Peas in This Pod
I had a check up with my breast surgeon this morning. I was supposed to have one right after we got back from Rome, but very reluctantly had to miss the appointment amidst the mix of emergency appointments due to the Vespa incident. It was not an appointment I wanted to reschedule. I can't even count how many times I called her office after I got the port with countless questions about whether it was really and truly ok to play competitive tennis without damaging or dislodging it...and how she told me it would take a a really hard line drive with a baseball or something harder than that. Well, I just knew she wasn't expecting me to take a line drive, at a wall, nor, not to mention, the good news that I totally proved her theory, and then some. Plus, it has been 10 months since she removed the damn spots and etc., so it's always nice to see people who saved your life again. Even better when they give you a good report. Basically, she broke the exam down like this for me: she was looking for peas, but didn't find any, thank God. In other words, I passed the exam. In tennis terms, you might say I aced it.
I also felt quite vindicated in another area of my life as well. See, I have never, ever, liked peas. I used to have a t-shirt that said, "If your mom tries to give you peas, just say no." Well, my mom did used to try to give me peas, sneaking them in tuna noodle casserole and her otherwise delish 7- layer salad and such. And I have been saying no to them as long as I can remember. Way long before I had the t-shirt. Come to think of it, I wonder if I should've collected royalties or something off the t-shirt maker? But I digress.
Now, I understand the aesthetic idea behind green in tuna noodle casserole. I am a fan of the color green. I have nothing against the greenness of peas; it's one of the few things I think peas have going for them. That, and they sort of look like little tennis balls, which is all well and fine...until you use your spoon as a little tennis racket and whack a few across the dining room table. Mushy green pea splats all over the wall are not aesthetically pleasing. And I think that just further illustrates my point. Sometimes aestheticism can go too far. And definitely, when peas are involved.
As for the 7-layer salad...I say why not just stop at 6?...Or double the bacon and call it good? There really is no logical reason to add peas. The salad is already green. Not to mention the broccoli. Peas are not only redundant in this scenario, but are also, as they are in all cases where they are mistakenly tossed in a dish, missing their calling as ice-packs.
Speaking of ice-packs, Amanda and Mikey have sure needed them this week, as they both had their wisdom teeth taken out on Tuesday. Both are fairing well, and have enjoyed a steady diet of ice cream, movies and good friends stopping by.
Amanda has had a bit of a tougher time recovering than Mikey. I am praying she wakes up feeling significantly better tomorrow, because it is her first day at her new job as a nail technician. After she finished her last quarter of her first year of college, I took her to a new spa nearby, The Mandarine Spa, to get a Mani/Pedi to celebrate. We found out they were hiring nail techs, so she took a resume in the next day and got an interview right on the spot. On Monday she did a technical interview and got offered the job Monday night. The night before she was to get her wisdom teeth out. They wanted her to start tomorrow because they have a bridal party coming in. She was so excited, she said yes without a second thought, but added that she might not be feeling that chatty.
She's kinda cute like that.
I also felt quite vindicated in another area of my life as well. See, I have never, ever, liked peas. I used to have a t-shirt that said, "If your mom tries to give you peas, just say no." Well, my mom did used to try to give me peas, sneaking them in tuna noodle casserole and her otherwise delish 7- layer salad and such. And I have been saying no to them as long as I can remember. Way long before I had the t-shirt. Come to think of it, I wonder if I should've collected royalties or something off the t-shirt maker? But I digress.
Now, I understand the aesthetic idea behind green in tuna noodle casserole. I am a fan of the color green. I have nothing against the greenness of peas; it's one of the few things I think peas have going for them. That, and they sort of look like little tennis balls, which is all well and fine...until you use your spoon as a little tennis racket and whack a few across the dining room table. Mushy green pea splats all over the wall are not aesthetically pleasing. And I think that just further illustrates my point. Sometimes aestheticism can go too far. And definitely, when peas are involved.
As for the 7-layer salad...I say why not just stop at 6?...Or double the bacon and call it good? There really is no logical reason to add peas. The salad is already green. Not to mention the broccoli. Peas are not only redundant in this scenario, but are also, as they are in all cases where they are mistakenly tossed in a dish, missing their calling as ice-packs.
Speaking of ice-packs, Amanda and Mikey have sure needed them this week, as they both had their wisdom teeth taken out on Tuesday. Both are fairing well, and have enjoyed a steady diet of ice cream, movies and good friends stopping by.
Amanda has had a bit of a tougher time recovering than Mikey. I am praying she wakes up feeling significantly better tomorrow, because it is her first day at her new job as a nail technician. After she finished her last quarter of her first year of college, I took her to a new spa nearby, The Mandarine Spa, to get a Mani/Pedi to celebrate. We found out they were hiring nail techs, so she took a resume in the next day and got an interview right on the spot. On Monday she did a technical interview and got offered the job Monday night. The night before she was to get her wisdom teeth out. They wanted her to start tomorrow because they have a bridal party coming in. She was so excited, she said yes without a second thought, but added that she might not be feeling that chatty.
She's kinda cute like that.
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